


What Remains

by Key0110



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boarding School, Chaotic Academia, Character Death, Dean Winchester Has a Crush, Destiel - Freeform, Enemies to Lovers, F/M, Hurt Dean Winchester, M/M, Multi, No Happy Ending Fest, Private School, Roommates, Sharing a Room, Slow Burn, sixties private school, slowest of burns
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-14
Updated: 2021-03-14
Packaged: 2021-03-17 06:08:36
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,430
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29345637
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Key0110/pseuds/Key0110
Summary: Dean knew he wasn't dumb, but when he got a scholarship to a private secondary school in New York, it was certainly a surprise. He makes enemies easily, and is homesick something awful, but he may as well stick around to ruin these preppy kid's lives. One in particular, Castiel Novak's. The sixties bring school, burning hatred, death, and eventually- love.warning for language and slurs, it is the 60's after all.
Relationships: Castiel/Dean Winchester, Dean Winchester/Other(s)
Comments: 1
Kudos: 5





	1. May 1962

“Come on Sammy, let’s go for a walk.” Dean grabbed his little brother’s hand, though he was eight years old. John lay motionless on the couch, his eyes open, but not seeing his sons. He’d snap out of it within a few hours, but for now, they let him lie there, black hair greasy against his forehead, chest rising and falling shallowly. The curtains drawn shut, only letting a sliver of light in to reflect on the dust. Dean could barely remember what their father was like before he came back from Korea, but he knew he was strong and mostly-content. John had come back changed, partly due to the war, and partly due to the death of his wife in his absence. It had taken its toll on the trio, but none more than their father. 

The brothers left the one-story house, shutting the forest green door behind him. The suburbs of their small midwestern home smelling of cooking out. Spring had finally arrived in its finality, filling the air with a warm breeze and letting people pull their grills out of their garages for the season. Dean’s mouth watered at the smell and he kicked a stone as they walked in silence. 

“Dean?” 

“Mhm?” Dean glanced at Sammy, hands shoved in his pockets and his too long hair curtaining his face. 

“Is Dad always gonna be like this?” The sky began to fade into the colors of the evening, and Sam’s eyes were glued to the pavement in front of him. They were quiet for a moment before Dean responded. 

“I don’t know. He has always been like this, since he came back from the war at least. Dad lost a lot of buddies over there, I think. And then mom too.” Dean hardly remembered her, and Sam of course was a baby. 

“He’s been through a lot huh?” Dean nodded with a sigh and watched a family unload groceries from the car. The father chasing his giggling children into the house, the mother just watched and held back a laugh. In a perfect world, they’d be a family like that. A warm breeze blew, shaking him from this thought. It was too late to wish for that kind of stuff, it had done them no good then and it wouldn’t help now. 

“Well, I’m never going to war.” Sam said with resolution, “I’m not going to lay around, I want to help people. Be a doctor or something.” 

“Sam,” Dean’s voice was warning, “You don’t get a choice, you’ll be drafted, or you won’t. Even I could be sent off.” Hesitating, Dean picked at his nails. “And they do help people- as much as they can. But for what it’s worth, you’d be a great doctor.” Sam beamed at this, eyes lighting up with pride. He knew more people than not with fathers who’d served at least once in their lives, especially out here. It was a way of life. 

“Race you back!” Sam yelled, starting off down the street, but Dean caught him by the shirt and pushed him back, sprinting ahead. 

“Not much of a race!” Dean looked behind him, laughing at Sam’s determination. His little brother sped up in an effort to make up for being shoved behind. 

The two bolted off towards their street, kicking up loose sidewalk and scaring a cat as they rounded the corner. Dean’s sneakers were worn at the balls of his feet, making him wince as the pebbles poked through the thin soles. Colorful houses passed by, watching them ricochet through the streets. The freshly manicured lawns soaring past, bushes nearly full in the warm weather. Summer was on the horizon, and you could tell just by the excitement in all the kids their age. Dean was nearly old enough for secondary school, though he imagined he’d leave school the second he turned sixteen. For most, it was more important to get a job than finishing school, even more so if you had no plans to go to college. 

Dean wasn’t bad at school, he was smart enough to get by, and he could get good grades if he tried. It was always just more important to help Sammy with his homework than it was to do his own, not that he minded. After finishing the mandatory test, Dean was all set to start high school. He didn’t have big dreams like Sam, being a doctor or anything. He’d pretty much assumed he’d grow up just like John, go to the military. Though, he hoped he wouldn’t have any kids to watch him ghost around the place if he came back from war. 

As they returned, the radio echoed through the home. Kennedy’s voice ringing from the pale beige living room and into the kitchen, where John was fixing dinner. 

“-will remain available, in a new and heightened state of combat readiness, if a new crisis should arise, requiring their further service. I know that I speak for all of our countrymen in expressing our appreciation to all those who served, under the adverse conditions of living in camps and being taken away from their families. And their service, and the willingness of the great, great majority of all of them to do this uncomplainingly, I think, should be an inspiration to every American.” The president was young, and according to John ‘Alright for a catholic.’ Which was the extent of Dean’s knowledge on the subject. 

“Boys, come get it!” John yelled from the kitchen. His hair was still matted to his head, and looked like he’d been laying around for days, which he had, but he had boiled hot dogs ready. “Grab the ketchup and mustard would you Dean.” 

“Yes sir,” Dean said as Sammy sat at the table, John dropping the plate in front of him and sitting beside his youngest. “The Smiths are barbecuing, smells good out there. Maybe we can get the grill out and cook out next weekend?” 

“Maybe.” John watched him sit at the table, dropping the condiments in between them. 

The conversation went dead after that, as it usually did. All three Winchesters eating in silence, after which the boys would clean up and put the dishes up. John would go back to the couch to listen to the radio, or head to his room to sleep, and Dean would be glad if he didn’t get a drink before the night was out. 

“Night Dean.” Sam called across the dark bedroom, his silhouette only illuminated by the moonlight seeping in between the curtains. 

“Goodnight Sammy.” Rolling over, Dean felt himself fall into a deep sleep. 

Just as last period ended, Miss Lyall called Dean to stay after class. Which earned him teasing from his friends before they moved along to get good seats on the buses. Slowly, Dean walked up to her desk, watching the last few students trail out of the room and Miss Lyall herself flipping through the papers on her desk. The woman was kind, and her room was mostly plain, but her desk was always stacked high with papers. 

“Dean, I would like to talk to you about the scores on your secondary school exams.” Dread flooded his stomach; he must’ve gotten really bad scores for her to pull him aside like this. Even worse than Lee, who was known for having flunked English twice. 

“What about them?” A breeze rustled the covered desk, and she pulled a few pages from the pile, flipping through them before handing them to Dean. 

“Take a look for yourself.” 

In all but one subject, he had gotten nearly perfect scores. His mouth hung open in disbelief and he flipped back to the front to check- yep. His name was in print across the top: Dean Winchester. “So, what about it?” 

“Well, that’s up to you and your family. You got a 98 in verbal reasoning and problem solving, and a 96 in practical application. Your English scores are only an eighty-four, but I submitted your scores to a secondary school.” She waited to gauge his response before continuing. 

“Junction High?” He didn’t pull his eyes of the papers in his hands. The large 94 average staring up at him in red marker. 

“Yes, but also… you’ve received a scholarship to attend one in New York. Browning-Wright Private School.” 

Dean scowled at the woman, crossing his arms and tucking the test under his arm. “You’re lying.” There was no way he would’ve gotten into a nice school, especially not one in New York. Sam was the bright one, he was the one who’d amount to something more than a drunk by thirty. “You’re lying?” Dean was in complete disbelief. 

“No, Mr. Winchester, I’m not. Of course, it’s up to you whether you choose to actually go or not, but I really would recommend you at least tell your folks about it, see what they think. They wouldn’t be paying a dime.” She felt the stubbornness and disbelief in Dean and continued, “Just consider it, please.” 

Even walking to his bus, Dean didn’t believe it. 

He stows the packet in his bookbag as he climbs the steps and joins Sam, the rumbling of the bus starting underneath them, and they head off towards home. Spitballs and paper wads flying through the air, much to the bus driver’s despair. As one is misfired, the kid who threw it ducked back into his seat, unable to watch it hit the back of Dean’s head. 

“Go to hell fucker!” He yelled, throwing a wad of homework right back. Despite being nerdy enough to get a free ride into a private school, he still had a reputation to uphold. Going to a stuck-up private school would not help that, besides, he didn’t belong in New York. Despite how cool it sounded to be able to walk through a city and not see the same person twice. Kansas was his home; he’d never even been out of the state. And winters would be too cold anyways. 

Dean kept his scores to himself, not telling his friends as they prodded. Not even mentioning them to Sam, who assumed he must’ve done fine enough to get into high school and nothing more. The idea of New York was certainly alluring, but Dean couldn’t picture himself there. Small but tough, and rough around the edges, Dean Winchester in a fancy private school. It wouldn’t do. The bus rolled through the neighborhood, dropping off the kids in a hurry. Finally, the brothers got off at their stop and Dean waved goodbye to his friends. 

Inside the house, the curtains and windows were open, dinner was on the stove and John had cleaned himself up. His dark hair parted neatly to one side, and he sat at the table, flipping through the paper. 

“How was your last day boys?” He didn’t look up from reading. The afternoon sun flooded the house in light, far from what it had been the days before. 

“Great!” Sam exclaimed, heading back to their room to drop his bookbag off. “I’m so excited for the summer though!” And the two were even more excited that it would start off with John being okay, at least for a few days. “Dean, you’ll take me to the pool, right?” He yelled, reentering the kitchen, where Dean stood. His bag slumped on the floor next to him and peering into the pot. 

“Of course.” And Dean decided to ride out the good mood before telling his dad about the private school offer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't usually have chapters this short but I've been playing with this fic idea for a while and I hope you like it! Like the tags say- it'll be a very slow burn enemies to lovers.


	2. Summer

“What so special about you?” John spat, “Do you think we have money to waste on a private school Dean?” He shrunk in his place under the furious glare of his father. Anyone else would’ve been proud for how well their son was doing, but not John. He had been shouting for the better half of two hours, filling the house with anger. Sam had been sent out of the room, but that didn’t mean he didn’t hear all of it. 

“I have a scholarship!” 

“So? You can’t just leave your family behind Dean.” The words left John’s mouth like poison, as if he hadn’t been halfway across the world when Sam was born, and as if Mary had died on purpose. 

“I’m not even sure I want to go, I thought you’d be proud that I did well enough to even be considered!” He would’ve if it had been Sam, but Dean didn’t say so. 

“What about Sam?” John’s voice was loud, and it struck a nerve with the mention of Sam, who could do no wrong. As though Sam wouldn’t be able to take care of himself in Dean’s absence, he did fine without John and Mary. 

“What about me!” 

Talking back had earned him being grounded and sent to bed without dinner. Dean sat on his bed, back against the wall and staring at Sam’s side of the room. He finally had something going for him, just for him, and John had ruined it in one fell swoop. Dean wasn’t sure what he’d expected but being grounded wasn’t it. He scowled at the test scores and crumpled them, tossing them to the floor. A full ride to a private school, and John was more worried about having to actually be a father for Sam. Of course. 

If he hadn’t wanted to go before, he did now. To get away from John, and also out of spite. Nothing would stop him now. 

After hours of sitting by himself, stewing in his own anger, Sam’s footsteps padded down the hall and into the bedroom. He eyed Dean carefully, as though he might explode. 

“I brought you a roll and porkchop. Figured you were probably hungry.” Sam stood at the foot of Dean’s bed, pulling the napkin of food out of his pocket and setting it on the bed. He had heard the argument, and no doubt John’s bitching about it all through dinner. 

“I’m not.” But his stomach betrayed him with a grumble. “Thanks.” 

“Good job with your test. I knew you were gonna do good on it.” 

“I wish dad thought so.” He said quietly, picking at the food. It wasn’t like he’d be leaving them forever, just long enough to get an education. But that’s not how John saw it. 

“Are you gonna go?” Sam sunk into his own bed; eyes trained on his big brother. 

“I don’t know.” 

“Well, I think you should. You’ll be back for breaks and stuff, right?” 

“Yea, think so.” Dean finished off the food and climbed to the end of his bed, flipping off the light switch. “Dad didn’t even consider it, it only makes me want to go more now that he’s said no.” 

“Then go. I think we’ll be okay without you for a few months.” Sam settled in and rolled over, falling asleep quickly and leaving Dean to think. New York might be cool, new people, and no one to look out for except himself. How big could the city really be anyway? With the thought of New York in mind, Dean fell asleep. 

The next week, they celebrated Sam’s ninth birthday, John ignoring his older son the whole time. 

The boys spent their summer break goofing off at the public pool and screwing around with friends in the fields surrounding town. Dean’s friends, of course, didn’t let him live down the fact that he’d be attending some uppity school in New York. And eventually, John came around to the idea enough to not raise a stink over Dean being gone for most of the year. The summer was a scorcher, highs reaching over a hundred, which caused the whole town to flock to the pools and set up sprinklers in their yards. So naturally, so did the Winchesters. Dean must’ve brought Sam to the pool nearly every day of June, every day he wasn’t busy mowing lawns or helping out around the neighborhood that is. 

By the time late July hit, Dean had decided to go for sure. Just as a trial run, for the first year. If he liked it, he would stay but otherwise he told Sam he’d come right back. 

“And I’ll be back once I turn sixteen anyways, promise.” Dean said to Sam, who sat on his bed as he packed. “You better be good while I’m gone, I don’t want to have to come back and make sure you’re not getting into trouble.” He reached into his dresser and tossed a small pile of shirts into the suitcase. 

“Oh please, you’re the one we need to watch out for.” Sam laughed, fidgeting with a book that hadn’t been packed yet. Most of Dean’s belongings had been packed away, and a few outfits for the weekends. Of course, he didn’t have very much to be taking anyways, not even a whole lot of family photos. Just one of Dean and a very pregnant Mary, and then another of just Sam and Dean in the yard. The school had written him, they’d be providing him with his uniforms and anything else he needed along the way. 

“Call or write if you need anything.” Dean emptied his coin jar into a plastic baggie and turned to face Sam. “You’ll be okay, right?” 

“Yea. Just make sure to bring me a souvenir back for Christmas.” Sam gave Dean a small smile. 

“Sorry to be leaving you.” Though he had earned his place at the school, it didn’t make him feel any better about leaving Sam alone. And alone with John for that matter. 

“Don’t be, I’ll be fine.” Sam tossed the book on top of the pile and shrugged, “You’ll have to show those guys not to mess with you.” 

“Please, won’t be an issue!” Dean laughed and pulled a face that was meant to be tough crossing his arms.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'll only be able to update on Saturdays-Mondays so I'll try to keep it semi consistent and update it when I can. Also I love to hear from you guys! Thanks for reading! :)


	3. Trip to School- August 1st 1962

On the first of August, Dean’s suitcases were all packed into the trunk of his father’s Impala. The sleek black car purring awake to take him to the bus station, clouds rolled slowly overhead, not quite heavy enough to rain. John was quiet, but it didn’t stop Sam from rambling on about how cool New York would be and how Dean better bring him something back and send letters or call. To which Dean promised. Finally, everything had been packed in, the three Winchesters feeling the rumble of the car pulling them towards town. 

The car ride was silent, save for old forties music playing softly on the radio. The boys sat in the back seat, Dean fidgeting and watching the suburbs roll into the town. The movie theater, grocery store, and his school- old school. He’d said his goodbyes to his friends a few days before, walking through town and sharing a pack of cigarettes amongst themselves. Their teasing had not subsided very much, especially when Harris and them learned about how he had been accepted. The high test scores pulling him away to a private school that was free to him, they were probably jealous that he was the only one getting out of this town, the only one smart enough to make something of himself outside of Junction City. Outside of Kansas for that matter. Because when was the last time someone important came from Kansas? 

Before too long, they pulled up to the curb along the bus station. Several people waited, some with briefcases headed to the city for work. Their suits, unblemished and nice looking. Dean grabbed his two suitcases and bookbag and stepped onto the sidewalk. 

“You be careful, promise you’ll write to me?” Sam’s eyebrows were drawn together, he pulled on the ends of his sleeves. A hand me down from Dean, who was much taller than his brother, for right now at least. 

“Of course.” He took a deep breath and pulled Sam in for a hug, ruffling his hair and socking him on the arm. “Be good, and don’t get into any trouble without me.” 

“Got everything you need?” John rested a hand on Sam’s shoulder as the bus rolled up. 

“Think so.” The other people around them started filing onto the bus, handing over their bus cards, just like the one Dean had received in the mail, courtesy of Browning-Wright private school. 

“Take care of yourself Dean.” 

“Yes sir.” Dean grabbed the handles of his bags and waved one last goodbye to his family, giving Sam a small smile before climbing up the steps of the bus. 

It didn’t take very long for the bus to take off, barely giving Dean enough time to shove a suitcase under his seat and look back to see John getting back in the car, letting Sam watch Dean leave. Dean supposed his little brother was the only one who actually wanted him around in the whole town, even his friends. He propped his feet up on the other suitcase, slouched his bookbag into the seat next to him and pulled a book out. Sam had always hated him for being able to read on car rides, since he was such a big bookworm. The black cover illuminated only by the title: On the Road. Seemed fitting. 

After hours of nothing but fields, lunchtime hit. There were hardly any stops after the first in Manhattan (Kansas that is). He folded the top corner of the page and pulled out a sandwich, eating slowly and taking in the sights as they rolled on. Most of the other passengers had gotten off in the city for work, but a few were going further. 

They made a pit stop in St. Louis, where Dean switched buses for the one that’d take him the rest of the way. By eight, night had fallen in Cincinnati. The lights of the city were beautiful against the hills of Kentucky behind them. He watched the corn fields sway through his window, only starlight illuminating the fields, not unlike how it was back home. Dean fell asleep with his head against the window and his arms crossed across his chest. The scenery kept changing, unwatched, it passed quickly. The fields giving way to cities, before hitting the larger ones of New York. 

Dean woke to the slowing bus in traffic, nearly to the city where his school resided. To his surprise, New York was bigger than he realized, much bigger than just the city. Wolcott was clear on the other side of the state and overlooked Lake Ontario. The school had sent a car to pick him up from the bus stop in Rochester and take him the rest of the way, it had been an excruciating 22-hour ride and he was finally here. Once six o’clock hit, he was pulling his things from the car and taking his first steps on campus. The lawns sprawling in between red bricked buildings, ones that looked like they belonged in a British school movie. 

“Hello Mr. Winchester.” A strict looking man walked up to where he was standing. “How was your trip?” 

“It was fine, thanks.” Dean cleared his throat and toed the gravel drive. “So. who are you?” 

“Excuse me, I’m the Academy Director, Mr. Greenwell.” He stuck out his hand. 

“Oh, good to meet you sir.” Dean shook the man’s hand and suddenly felt very underdressed, more kids began arriving around him, dressed in what he guessed was the uniform. White button ups and slacks, though some arrived in their own clothes. 

“I’ll have someone show you to your dorm and give you a hand with your bags.” And as if reading his mind, “Your uniforms will be waiting there for you.” 

Some kids had already been here for a few days and had settled in, but they’d be coming in for the next week before classes started. The campus was busy, but not yet crowded like it’d be once classes began. 

As the chaperone and Dean walked through the large campus, and through the dorm grounds, he felt even more out of place. They entered a four-story building, Friedrich Hall, where he’d be living for the duration of his years at school. 

“We educate up to senior year, and most of our students stay until the very last year. I have hope that you will too. All of our students find their place here.” The chaperone explained, but Dean knew he’d be out of here by sixteen, if he even made it so long. 

“Do we get to visit the city?” Dean asked, remembering Sam’s request for postcards. 

“Yes! The weekends are free for students to explore the area, and you can request to visit the big city, I know it was probably the first thing on your mind, like for most small-town kids.” Dean frowned at his words, the sense of influence and being better than him because Dean came from Kansas. 

Before he could bring up the subject, they had reached his room. The large chestnut door led to a small room, still bigger than his at home. Two beds, desks, and wardrobes, all in matching wood. The other half of the room had not been occupied yet, but Dean was assured he would have a roommate. 

“In fact,” The chaperone flipped through his clipboard before continuing. “His name is Benjamin Lafitte. I’ll leave you to unpack your things and get dressed up in your uniform. Hope to see you around Mr. Winchester, good luck.” And with that, he was off. Probably to help more incoming students find their dorms. Castiel Novak, weird ass name. Though these older families seemed to be full of them. 

As promised, Dean found ten uniforms hanging in his wardrobe. Each set included a white button up with black pants and shorts, and a coat to match. On the shelf below sat two sets of shiny black shoes. He put off changing and started to unload his things, setting a photo of him and Sammy on the nightstand. He tucked away his clothes and tennis shoes, and after everything had been unpacked, the room barely looked any more full of life than the other side. 

He flopped onto the bed and finished up a chapter of his book, not feeling so unlike the main characters themselves. Before long, the lunch bell rang and pulled all the new students into the dining hall. Dean hurriedly pulled on his uniform, not bothering to button the top two buttons, and walked with the groups of people towards lunch. He walked alone while others seemed to already have friends, he sat alone and ate alone, wearing a scowl that was sure to be scaring off any potential friends. Except for one. 

“Hi, you must be new.” A boy dropped his plate across from Dean’s and slouched into his seat, his uniform was already disheveled, collar hanging limply on the boy’s neck. His blonde hair flying in every direction. 

“Obviously.” Dean grumbled, put out that he hadn’t managed to keep people away long enough to finish his meal. 

“’m Harvey, Lindberg. Friends call me Ash.” He tilted his head to ask Dean and dug into his meal. 

“How’d you figure Ash from that?” Dean kept from rolling his eyes and picked at his plate, pushing peas around with his fork. 

“Middle name’s Ashford. Ash is better than that at least.” He swallowed his food and stared at Dean, “And you are?” 

With a sigh Dean spoke, “Dean Winchester.” 

“Cool name, Winchester. You’re not from around here, huh?” 

“Kansas.” 

“Makes sense, didn’t see you any at the primary school most of these kids go to. And your accent’s a little heavier than even my parents. I’m from Texas, haven’t been there since I was real little though.” He rambled on for a few minutes before waving over a small group of people. 

“Hey Ash! Been too long man!” One of the guys clapped a hand to Ash’s shoulder and settled in beside him. “Who’s the new guy?” He nodded towards Dean. 

“Winchester, from Kansas man.” 

“Like the rifle?” Dean gave him a short nod. “Well, I’m Chuck, this is Sheppard, and Augus- Asa.” Asa sat next to Dean and started up a conversation about which classes he’d be having and when. 

The group seemed close enough and let Dean in without a thought, like it was preposterous that he’d be anywhere else. And Dean couldn’t help but think that Ash was cool, he’d done so much stuff, stories he’d talk about, how he ran from the police twice this summer. They didn’t seem to mind that Dean didn’t say a whole lot and was angry at the intrusion. 

“Which dorm building are you in?” Asa spoke up from shoving at Chuck. 

“Friedrich, you guys?” 

“Us too.” Ash said, elbowing Sheppard, who Dean learned was cursed with the first name Fergus. His Scottish accent was plain for anyone to hear. The new group walked around campus, locating their buildings and shoving each other around, laughing. “Have you met your roommate yet Dean?” 

“Not yet, I don’t know when he’ll be here.” Dean shrugged and watched Chuck and Sheppard fighting playfully at the front of the group. 

“You got a name?” Ash asked, shoving his hands into his pockets. His hair was a little longer in the back than the front, shaggy compared to the rest of the boys here. Dean admired him for that, reminded him a little of Sam, his hair was long, but not nearly as cool as Ash’s. 

“Ben Lafitte, I think?” 

“Oh yea, think I’ve heard of him. Went to the same primary school, he’s alright.” 

For the rest of the afternoon and well into the evening, Dean stuck around with these guys, eventually laughing at their antics. But it was clear that he was the outsider, he didn’t have any shared jokes or family summers to talk about, so he kept quiet and watched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay so I've decided to redo the plot back to the orig idea so sorry for the delay


	4. Welcome to Classes

“You must be Dean Winchester.” The boy called Benjamin appeared a few days after Dean did, two trunks of things in tow. “I’m Benny Lafitte.” He brushed his fingers through his hair and pulled one of his trunks into the room. He wore the uniform already, fitting like it had been tailored though it was wrinkled and his hair was spiked up in every direction. 

“I figured.” Dean dropped his book to his stomach and raised an eye at the boy, who began emptying the contents of his trunk onto the bed. Not nearly as neatly as Dean had unpacked. Not to mention, Benny had about a trillion pictures and a few posters that he began tacking up to the wall. “And it’s just Winchester.” He’d never gone by his last name, because of the correlation to John, but hearing Ash dub that his name, it fit. 

After watching this kid unload all his things all over the room, a box of sports memorabilia, sweaters galore, and a dopey look on his face. Dean gave up reading and got up, tying his shoes on and not bothering with his coat, he headed out. The afternoon air was cool, and the campus really was nice, lots of room for people to play football on the field or do homework under the trees. Dean wasn’t sure what to do with all this newfound freedom and time. He wouldn’t be helping Sam with all his chores and homework; he’dl have time to do whatever he pleased and without John’s imposing glare to keep an eye on him. 

He wandered around the buildings for a few hours, and the last Saturday before classes would start melted away. He leaned against a tree and watched the upperclassmen run around and walk between dorms. His frown wasn’t an invitation for other kids who sat alone this time and scared them off easily. 

As six hit, the dinner bell rang and Dean watched the boys flood the sidewalks. The dining hall didn’t look big enough to hold and feed all these people, but somehow, it did. He waited in his spot beneath the tree until he saw Ash walking his way. 

“Hey Winchester! Planning on eating?” 

“I’m starving, you guys get everything unpacked finally?” Dean shoved his hands in his pockets and watched Ash while he spoke. Him and Shep had been hiding each other’s things all week, making it impossible to be completely settled in. They’d known each other for a few years, while Asa and Chuck were new additions, almost as new as Dean. 

“I think so, if he’s hidden anything else, I don’t know what. I guess if I don’t notice it now, it never mattered much anyways.” Ash shrugged and flipped his hair out of his eyes. “Lafitte ever show up?” 

“Yea actually, he came in this afternoon. Trashed the place though. He’s got millions of pictures and sports shit, no joke..” Dean shook his head, remembering the kid unloading all his crap. The only thing he ever heard was what Ash had said about knowing him previously. 

“Jesus. Hopefully, it’ll turn out okay. Otherwise, you’ll have to get yourself a new roommate.” He perked an eyebrow and laughed. 

“You want to switch with me?” 

“Fuck that!” Ash laughed and elbowed Dean in the side. The two walked slowly towards the dining hall, eventually being caught up with by Chuck and Asa. The four all grabbed plates and settled into the table they sat that very first day, claimed as theirs. Shep was already there, flipping through a paperback. 

“Oi, took you long enough.” He grumbled, flipping a page. “I’ve nearly finished my dinner before you even got here.” His black hair was cropped short to his head, and he was the shortest one of them. Had yet to hit a growth spurt. Ash was the tallest one, even taller than Dean. But he still had time to bypass him. 

“Ask them!” Ash pointed a thumb at the other duo, “Winchester and I were ahead of them.” 

“Dean!” Benny walked up and threw a hand up in greeting to the rest of the group. “Can I sit with you guys? You’re the only ones I recognize.” 

Dean glanced at Ash and the rest of them before answering, “Sure man. Finally get everything put up?” 

“Yea, sorry for making a train wreck of the place.” Benny settled beside Dean, wasting no time in eating and getting to know everyone else in the group. Him and Ash talked about their shared primary school, and Benny fit in seamlessly with the other boys. 

After a long dinner, Dean stepped out into the evening air. The sunset grazing the tops of buildings and flooding the lawns in orange light. Only a few clouds floated in the sky, as if stuck there only to watch the sun fall too. Dean dug into his back pocket for his cigarettes, but he’d forgotten his lighter in his room. 

“Shit.” 

“Bit young to be smoking?” The voice called from the doorway of the dining hall, making Dean jump. It was Ash. 

“You got a light?” 

With a sigh he nodded. “Only if you’re sharing.” Dean went to reach for the lighter, but Ash was already holding it out to the end of his cigarette. He inhaled deeply before passing it to the other boy. Ash pressed it tightly between his lips and took a small puff before handing it back. “You smoke a lot?” 

“Not really, it’s more common down there I guess, people don’t care a whole lot for what their kids are doing, so long as they stay out of jail.” He took another breath and blew it out. The two sat in a comfortable silence, sharing a cigarette in the perfect weather. Dean thought to himself about how much rougher the kids were back home, about how he was. But Ash had been kind, right from the start. He’d be a good friend. 

He fell asleep that night thinking about how loudly Sam snored back home. He slept sounder than he had the first few days he was there because he shared a room. At least that’s what he figured. The two had gotten ready for bed in silence and Benny snored softly, reminding him of Sam, which sent a pang of homesickness through his gut. It was much louder here than at home, even though the school was tucked away from a big city, there were planes, cars, trains, and neighbors all around where there was only suburbs and grass in Kansas. 

On Sunday, all the boys filed into church. Which was wildly different, John hadn’t taken the boys to church ever, especially after what he had seen in Korea, and after Mary. Dean just took after Benny, who he learned was catholic, copying him and zoning out for most of the sermon. Dean spent most of the weekend avoiding being in his room, bringing a book with him and reading on the lawns to waste time before classes started. 

Monday morning began classes for all the boys, for Dean, it was algebra, English, and natural sciences. He did well in them and found he didn’t have to take notes, his professor’s words and handwriting just stayed in his mind. A kid named Frank asked him after class how the hell he could answer the questions with no notes. Which earned him nothing more than a shrug. 

Classes didn’t turn out to be all that difficult, of course they were only one week in, but it was easier to learn without burnouts behind you wadding up homework and seeing who could hit the ceiling. One of his teachers, a Mr. Kitwell turned out to be very patient with Dean. He said he grew up near Kansas City and was glad to see such a bright student come out of his home state. 

By the end of the week, Dean was getting sick of avoiding his roommate. He just wanted to sleep in his bed, classes were remarkably longer than he was used to, and he was worn out. So, he trudged up the steps and into his room, groaning at the music filling the room and Benny tossing a ball. He tried to passive aggressively tell the other boy that he was exhausted by climbing into bed and covering his eyes with his arm. But to no avail. Benny just kept going, tapping his foot to the radio. Dean sat still for a moment or two, thinking about throwing something at his roommate and hating rich kids with a burning passion before he propped himself up on an arm. 

“Do you mind?” He tried to make the words come out gentler, but they still dripped with spite. “I’m kinda tired.” 

“Sorry.” Benny looked at Dean, and leaned over to turn down the radio slightly. The problem wasn’t the radio, it was the ball that drilled into his head. And a headache started to form. “What about your homework? .” Dean noticed the side eye he cast towards the stack of papers on Dean’s desk. 

“Fuck’s sake.” Dean threw his hands up and jumped off his bed, pulling on a pair of shorts and shoes. He shoved a pack of cigarettes that he’d packed into his pocket and headed out for the lawn, nearly slamming the door behind him. 

The lawns of campus were emerald green, and the clouds passed patiently above him as he walked to his spot beneath one of the large oak trees that littered the campus. Dean pulled out a cigarette and watched the clouds float past. Not a care for anything that roamed the earth. He smoked to the butt of his cigarette and lit another before the sun had dropped below the horizon, drenching everything in a kind of golden hue. 

Finally, he went back to his room, where Benny had left the room empty. The radio had been shut off and he was gone. ‘Thank god.’ Dean thought to himself, undressing and climbing back into bed while the room darkened with night. He didn’t even hardly stir when Benny reentered the room hours later, stepping quietly and climbing into his own bed. He glared at his sleeping roommate and knew they’d have to work this out.


	5. Troublemaker

“Fuck off.” Dean barked at the second-year student, who’d laughed at the younger kid. There were three of them, they’d attempted to corner Dean into the space between buildings. 

“Oh please, you know you’re only here for charity. They only let you in here because they want to look good on their taxes. A public service to take in poor kids.” The taller boy chuckled with his friends, but it didn’t last long. As Dean sunk a fist into his gut. The kid doubled over but his friends were on top of Dean in no time, shoving him into the brick wall while he kicked and swung at them. He landed a knee into one of their groins and swung at the third boy. 

“See Michael? You were right! These kids are only good for violence and the street to beg.” The third boy laughed in Dean’s face as he fought back. He stopped laughing when Dean spit in his face and swung for his eye. 

They eventually ran off before getting caught, Dean looked like hell, but they looked worse. He’d gotten in quite a few good hits, the boys mostly unable to land a good hit. Even though it was three on one. 

“What the hell happened to you?” Benny asked as he entered their room. 

“Is that any of your fucking business?” Dean nearly shouted, his head pounding and eye swelling uncomfortably. He just wanted to go to bed without being interrogated. He could get kicked out for fighting, lose his scholarship, but he found he didn’t really care. 

“You could lose your scholarship for that shit.” Benny eyed Dean’s swollen eye. Dean swung his legs out of his bed and left the room, slamming the door behind him. The tan walls led him up to the third floor and to the room number that Ash had told him. He finally got to the right room and knocked twice, hearing an “It’s open!” 

“Oh, hey man.” Ash glanced over his shoulder from his desk, where he sat at his desk tinkering with what looked like the insides of a radio. Shep laid back on his own bed, flipping through a magazine that was less than savory. Their room was lightly decorated, Ash had a few rock posters up and Shep had a record player set up on his nightstand, which was playing something Dean couldn’t recognize. 

“Christ Winchester what’d you do to your face?” Shep pushed himself up with a hand and stared at Dean. His words caught Ash’s attention and he turned, actually seeing him. His left eye was nearly swollen shut and Dean just noticed his bruised knuckles. 

“What the fuck happened to you?” Ash stood and grabbed Dean’s face turning it to see better. 

“I tripped. What do you think happened?” Dean sulked and pulled away, leaning against Ash’s desk to see what he was working on. 

“Shep can you go grab something cold?” Sheppard sighed and tossed his magazine aside before hopping off his bed and leaving. “Seriously, you’ve been here for what? Two weeks?” 

“Nearly three.” Dean mumbled. 

“Who was it?” Ash crossed his arms and stared at Dean expectantly. 

“Second year I think, Michael?” Dean shrugged and fiddled with the dismantled radio. “What are you doing with this?” 

“Not Milton? I told you about them, their family is a huge financial supporter of the school.” Ash frowned and leaned against the back of his chair. “It’s a radio, or was. I’m trying to make it a two way.” 

“You’ll have to get a speaker output and connect the wires between the antenna and transmitters.” Dean had leaned in and was pointing to the different parts as he spoke. “It’s not too hard to find the parts, old phone’ll do the trick.” 

“How come you’re so smart and fucking stupid at the same time? You could lose your spot here, d’you know that?” Dean couldn’t bring himself to say ‘So?’ to Ash. Despite his hatred for these private school kids, Ash was becoming his best friend. He definitely didn’t say so. Then, Shep came back, a cold pack and bandages in tow. 

Dean took the cold pack and held it gingerly against his eye. “Thanks, just had to get the hell out of my room. Benny was all over me about this. Fucking ridiculous.” 

“He’s just trying to keep an eye on you like the rest of us.” A breeze blew gently through the window as Ash opened it up and tossed the unneeded bandages onto his bed. He remembered their words- calling him nothing more than a beggar. That’s probably what his friends thought of him too. It was no secret where he’d come from and that he didn’t have any spending money. 

“He got what he deserved. And I can handle myself,” Dean started. “You got a light?” 

“Something better,” Ash pulled a small box from the top shelf of his wardrobe and flipped it open, grabbing a prerolled cigarette. “You’ll like it, promise. Won’t he Shep?” 

“You sharin’?” 

“Not with you.” Ash laughed and stuck the rolled paper between his lips, lighting and inhaling. He coughed a little before handing it to Dean to smoke. 

Anticipating it being tobacco, Dean took a deep breath, nearly making him cough a lung out. “The fuck is that?” He asked, passing it to Shep. 

“A secret.” Ash winked at him and stowed the box carefully back in its place. 

After he had settled down, Dean snuck back to his room and closed the door softly behind him. Benny had already gone to bed, but Dean knew he wasn’t asleep. He knew he should apologize to the boy, especially because they were stuck living together for however long Dean was at school. Whether or not Dean got kicked out or not, but he’d pissed him off, and continued to do so. So, he stayed quiet. 

The next morning, Benny had already left. Dean took his time dressing and combing his hair neatly, his eye was a nasty shade of purple that would be unavoidable for meals and classes, so he didn’t bother avoiding people. As he expected, the dining hall quieted a bit when he entered for breakfast. Thank god for Asa though. He jogged up to Dean and threw an arm across his shoulders, punching him lightly in the side. He goofed off with him and the people who’d looked up, went back to their breakfast. 

Under his breath, “Who’d you piss off this time?” Asa half-chuckled and walked with Dean to their table, where most everyone else had gone to class. Already, Dean had a reputation. 

“Some second year with an entire oak tree up his ass.” He smirked, “You should see him.” 

“Props to you I guess.” Asa sat down in his seat and finished off his meal. Some of the other first years glanced over to gawk at Dean, but stopped when he shot them a glare. 

“What classes you got today?” Dean asked, shoving a muffin in his mouth. 

“Eh, math, workshop, and French. I hate languages man.” Asa complained and leaned back in his seat, throwing his head back. “Comment dit on… kill me please?” He seemed to find it funny, so Dean chuckled with him, but he didn’t know a damn word of French. He wouldn’t start until his second year because of his year of Spanish from junior high. 

After finishing breakfast, they left the dining hall. Asa took off for math and Dean for English. 

On his way out of his last class of the day, he shoved a kid out of his way and took off for a spot under the trees in the lawn. Once he had a shaded area all to himself, he pulled out a piece of notebook paper and started writing to Sam. The letter was long overdue, as he’d promised to write the second he got a chance, but it was already September. And Sam hadn’t been able to write to Dean without the address. He held the paper in place and guarded it from the wind. 

Dear Sam, 

Sorry it’s taken so long to send a letter. They don’t have public phones for students either. It’s fine here, I’ve made a few friends and classes aren’t that hard either. It’s a lot chillier here than back home though. I haven’t been able to go to the city yet, I will before Christmas break though. They have church every week here too, it’s kind of weird and a lot different from the Sunday school I remember. 

How’s school? Are you behaving yourself? How’s dad? Are you missing me? Ha-Ha, I bet you’re just glad to have your own room now. Don’t get too used to it, I won’t be here forever. 

Love you, be good. 

-Dean W. 

He tucked the letter into his jacket and shoved the pencil back into his bag, by this time most everyone had finished with their classes and were laying around campus lawns lazily, enjoying the last of the warm weather before fall came in full swing and led them straight into winter, which he heard was a nightmare. He hadn’t bothered mentioning his annoying roommate or fighting three weeks into school, because he knew Sam would only tell him to get over himself and make up with the boy. And that was the last thing he wanted. 

Dean pushed open his door and dropped his book bag to the floor, Benny watching him from above a magazine on his bed. 

“Listen, I’m sorry for snapping at you man. We probably shouldn’t fight if we gotta live together for a while.” Dean cleared his throat and groaned internally at the stack of homework that had continued to grow through the week. 

“It’s cool, plus, I don’t want to get on your bad side. I saw Michael and his buddies.” Benny dropped the magazine to his lap. “Did you do that all by yourself?” 

“Kinda,” He admitted sheepishly, rubbing a hand over the back of his neck and plopping down at his desk to work through the stack of homework.


	6. Better in the Night

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this took so long for me to update! Been kinda crazy lately, anyways- hope you like it!

The thing Dean misses most about home is how simple it all is. If you’re mad at someone, you fight it out and then you’re good. If you like a girl, you ask her out. If dad’s in a mood, you go out for the night. School was simple, and everyone was equal. It didn’t matter that you were poor, because so was everyone else. Here, you had to watch out for yourself. And then there was Sam. 

Dean had sent his letter two weeks ago and had finally heard back from him. Sam was glad to hear that classes were going well, and that Dean hadn’t gotten kicked out just yet. He’d failed to mention to Sam how much trouble he was really getting into. But dad was fine, and Sam was doing well. So, that’s all that mattered. The letter had been tucked into the inner pocket of his jacket, not leaving his person since it had come in the mail. Even though school wasn’t that bad, he missed home terribly. All of his friends homes were right nearby, so it wasn’t so bad for them, but whether Dean admitted it or not, he was homesick something awful, it didn’t help that his current living situation was even more nightmarish than Kansas had been. 

He sat under the tree he usually sat at, watching the clouds and the boys eating lunch outside. Though it was chilly, and clouds rolled past, threatening a thunderstorm, it was perfect. Dean could smell the storm coming and it was the perfect temperature to wear long sleeves. 

“Hey Winchester, what’re you doing out here?” Ash plopped down next to him and handed Dean an apple from lunch. 

“Exactly what it looks like. Just peoplewatching.” Dean took a bite from the apple and pulled a knee to his chest. “Got a letter back from Sam.” 

“Your little brother?” He watched Dean carefully and looked up at the clouds. 

“Yep.” Dean bit at his fingernails and stared in a daze at the sky as it hung above the campus. “It’s gonna storm.” Ash only nodded. 

“Can you believe we’ve been here a whole term already? I’ve just finished my midterms this week. I hope I did alright.” Ash’s uniform was as scruffy as it usually was, the top button undone and jacket in his lap, which was no wonder why it was always wrinkled. 

“Can’t believe it at all, seems like we just got here. Shit, I gotta go to the city before winter break. Sammy’s been begging for a souvenir.” Dean started biting at his fingernails again, the apple long since forgotten. “And I’m sure you did great, how’s the radio coming?” Dean thought to himself about how it was impossible for Ash to do anything less than perfect. 

“Nearly done, Shep and I were thinking about going to the city too, we should all go together. Maybe get into something that’s probably not allowed on campus.” He laughed heartily and elbowed Dean lightly in the side. They watched the other students until the first of the rain began and they went ahead to eat dinner. 

With their whole group at the table, they joked and shoved and laughed, except for Shep and Asa. Who hadn’t spoken to each other for the past week, Ash had only shaken his head and frowned when Dean asked about it. Something about their families, but Dean couldn’t be too sure. About halfway through dinner, when the hall was at it’s fullest, the Academy Director stood at the front of the room to interrupt. 

“Hello students!” He yelled above the crowd as it silenced itself in his presence. “I hope you have all done well on your midterms. We have some news regarding a curfew.” This made the tables of students groan in despair. “I know, I know. There have been a number of protests building in our neighboring city of Rochester. So, students won’t be allowed out after eight for the following two weeks. Thank you for your cooperation and well done on your behavior this term.” 

“Protests?” Asa whispered to their group. “What for?” 

“The war.” Chuck thought out loud. “They probably think it’s a waste or something. Fucking ridiculous. Like any of us get a say one way or another.” Nodding solemnly, Ash brought up that it was out of their control. 

All the boys in the room were quiet after that, their reminder that there was a war going on where their fathers and older brothers were being snatched up, them being next. It set the tone for the rest of the night and well into the weekend. But despite the curfew, it only made Ash and Dean more eager to break it. 

Benny rolled over as Dean pulled on his jeans. The plan was to get dressed, meet Ash in the side stairwell and escape onto campus. From there, they’d break into Hawthorne building to smoke in a classroom. Thunder rolled past their window, forcing Benny to either speak up or go back to sleep. He didn’t say a word, so Dean pulled on a sweatshirt and finished lacing up his boots. 

Benny rolled over and shoved his face into the crook of his arm and began snoring softly, Dean shoved his cigarettes and a lighter into his pockets and took this moment to flee. The hallway was silent in the dead of night, except for the occasional rumble of thunder. Only lightning lit up the hall, flashing through the windows and making Dean hurry to the safety of the stairwell. Where no one could just pop their head out and catch him. 

As promised, Ash was waiting for him in stairwell B, sitting on a step. He nearly jumped out of his skin when he saw Dean though. He went to say hi, but Ash put a finger to his lips and grabbed Dean’s hand and pulled him to the ground floor and out the emergency exit, where, apparently, the alarm hadn’t been working in years. They huddled close to the building for a moment, avoiding the inevitable. 

“Stairwells are far too echoey,” Ash began, dropping Dean’s hand and peering around the corner to check for teachers. “Count of three, follow my lead.” One. Two. Three. And the duo bolted from their spot against the brick and towards the class halls. The minute they were out in the open, they became drenched to the bone. 

“Come on!” Ash whisper shouted as he sprinted to the nearest building and began picking the lock on the door, with one last pop, he shoved it open. 

“You gotta show me that.” Dean marveled at his friend and they entered the building quietly. “Where do the teachers stay?” 

“Here and there, there’s one in each dorm hall, not sure about the rest. The Academy Director stays in that big house on the hill though.” They crept through the halls and up the steps, eventually stopping in front of an unlocked classroom. 

“Wow,” Through the large windows lay the entirety of their campus, sprawled out before them. Lit by the occasional streetlight and lightning. You could really watch the storm roll through here. 

“Mhm.” Ash had already put a smoke between his teeth and pulled a lighter out, flicking it alight. After taking a deep inhale of smoke, he offered his lighter to Dean, who had his own cigarette in hand. 

“Thanks,” Dean thought back on his first day, his friends not caring that he was an angry kid, or still was. He frowned out the window and took another puff. The only thing was he didn’t belong here. He knew Sam must’ve lied as much as he did in his letter, that dad was probably lying around or being too harsh on Sam now that Dean was gone. He might be failing his class- no, if all the bad things happened, Sam wouldn’t be failing his classes. Sam was much smarter than himself. But still, if he found a mark on Sam when he came home, he’d never be able to leave again. 

Dean was so lost in his own thoughts, staring out the dark window and worrying about Sam that he didn’t realize Ash had moved over to the bookshelf, and was now flipping through some old looking book. His long blonde hair was tied at the base of his neck and leaned against a desk. 

“Things aren’t always better in the morning, Dean. Sometimes the night is all the good you get.” Ash said, a response to the book that was laid out in his lap. “Are you gonna stay till next year?” 

“To Kill A Mockingbird.” Dean lifted himself onto the table and sat cross legged, peering over Ash’s shoulder to see what he was reading. “I just gotta make sure Sammy’s alright, and then I’ll decide from there.” He leaned back on a palm and took another lungful of smoke, blowing it out into the dusty classroom air. 

“Well, we like you, even Shep, so you better come back.” He dropped the book shut and laid back on the table. The two must’ve been there for hours, smoking until they had run out of cigarette and staying awake until they thought they’d pass out. Only then did they sneak back into their dorm building, avoiding the teacher’s quarters on the ground floor.


	7. Happy Halloween: October 29, 1962

The day before Halloween, every kid in Dean’s history class was huddled around the radio. The local news was covering USSR backing out of Cuba, and what it meant for the American people. For the duration of the report, every building was silent on campus, like every student and teacher was listening in. Only after they confirmed the end of the crisis would take place within the next few weeks, the class erupted in cheers. Boys punched the air with joy and the American people took a breath. 

The rest of the day was wasted away to nervous excitement, thankfully the Halloween weekend was a perfect reason to end the day early. Dean watched the boys spill onto campus, even though it was significantly colder now. He just pulled his jacket tighter around him and headed to the main offices. The sun was covered by puffy clouds and was already beginning to set, letting a chill dig under his skin. The offices were busy with kids turning in last minute parent permission slips for a trip, but Dean skirted around them and towards the mail office. 

“Mr. Winchester, welcome back. I assume you’re picking up?” Mrs. Fitch handed him an envelope and smiled at him, “Halloween plans?” 

“Yes ma’am, thank you ma’am.” He wasted no time in leaving the office to read Sam’s letter, nearly running into the director. “Oh, sorry sir.” Dean ducked his head down and slipped into the crowd to leave. Before the letter could burn a hole in his pocket, Dean ripped it out and unfolded it, not even bothering to sit at the base of the tree. 

Dean, 

Hi! Good to hear from you, I hope you’re having a lot of fun. I bet it’s cold there now, its still a bit warm at home. We miss you. I can’t wait for you to come home for Christmas, you’ll be back the 17th of December, right? 

Garth’s older brother got sent to nam last week, and so has my friend’s dad. Like pigs to the slaughter down here. I bet those rich folks are doing better with it. Are any of them cool? Tell me about your friends and teachers. What’s your room like? Do you like your roommate? I wanna hear everything. 

Don’t forget my Christmas present ha-ha. 

Please write back soon! 

Love, Sam 

It was nice to hear that not much had changed back home, except for the people sent off to Vietnam, of course. Sam was still nosey, though he preferred ‘curious’. Dean laughed at his questions and slumped into the grass. God, he missed his little brother. He’d already gotten him a gift from the big city, a stack of postcards and a t-shirt. It was corny, but Sam’d like it all the same. 

If he had time to wallow, he would. But Halloween was on the horizon and they had trouble to get into, Ash had mentioned letting the lab mice loose. Dean had mentioned that they might as well grab some dead frogs too, help them find a new home- maybe in the teachers lounge? They had yet to do any finalizations on their plans, but they had till tomorrow night. Not tonight because that’d risk their whole weekend being in detention. 

“Winchester!” Asa jogged up and plopped down beside him, dropping his bag ungracefully to the grass. “Hey man, have you come up with where we can put our ‘pets’?” His eyes sparked but he glanced over his shoulder to check for eavesdroppers. “I was thinking science building would be fine-” 

“Nah, we’ll be tripping over them as we leave… how about the library, or we could let the mice into the field and hide the frogs in the chapel for Sunday morning?” 

“Frogs in the chapel! You’re brilliant.” Asa stared off in the distance, where Shep went out of his way to avoid them. 

“What the hell is up with you and Shep? Y’all haven’t been talking for like a month.” Asa sighed and leaned back against the tree, crossing his legs at the ankle. 

“He’s mad at me.” Laughing, Asa pulled a photo out of his wallet, showing Dean. “I said his mom was hot. He got angry and hasn’t said anything since.” He shrugged and looked at the photo in Dean’s hands. 

“You have a photo of Shep’s mom in your wallet?!” Dean dropped it like it had the plague. “What the fuck man?” 

“Well, she’s hot, right?” Asa threw his hands up to defend himself, “What? Can you blame me?” 

“I guess, but hell I’d be mad at you too!” 

“Come on, I wouldn’t do that to you. I don’t know what your mom looks like.” He burst into laughter, but it died into a chuckle when he saw Dean’s face go dark. “I was just joking man; I’ll get rid of the photo. More of a gag anyway.” 

“You’re fine, my mom’s dead anyway.” Dean said numbly, standing up and walking away, anywhere else. He had never really been required to disclose that to anyone before, everyone back home already knew. 

“Winchester! I’m sorry man, I didn’t know!” Asa frantically tried to recover and go after him, backing off when Dean didn’t slow down. He was left in the middle of the sidewalk, standing limply as Dean continued on. He didn’t say that stuff on purpose after all, Dean knew that. Figured it was a good reminder that they didn’t know each other, none of them did. 

The next day bloomed with perfect weather, only a slight chill in the air to dampen the mood and plans for the evening. Dean rolled over lazily to check the time on Benny’s nightstand clock. Not even eight, far too early for a weekend. So, he rolled over and tried to go back to sleep for the next few hours, skipping breakfast and only meeting his friends for lunch. 

“Hey man! Where were you this morning?” Ash scootched over to let Dean sit beside him. The dining hall was even louder than usual, the excitement for the night building to a peak. 

“Eh, slept in.” Which was of course a lie, he had tried to sleep but to no avail. “Everything ready for tonight?” He leaned in so that they were the only ones who could hear. 

“All ready,” Ash grinned mischievously, “God I can’t wait to see everyone’s faces tomorrow morning.” The boys had decided to leave the frogs hidden all over the church, under pews and behind bookshelves, it would be sure to reek by morning time. It was brilliant. 

Dean ran his fingers through his hair and leaned back, “I love Halloween.” Asa and Shep had made up by lunch, no doubt because Asa realized the fault in discussing their families. 

After an evening filled with pumpkins and small baggies of candy dropped at every dorm, though a few kids down the hall were bickering over theirs being stolen. Dean waited impatiently for night to fall and give them cover to break into the science hall. He impatiently hurried to finish a few pages of homework before he got ran out of the dorm room by his roommate or the dinner bell. 

As soon as dinner passed, the evening had ticked by slower than ever. The group was so antsy to get going that most of them gathered in Ash and Shep’s room. Asa and Benny walked back with them after dinner, but Shep had something to do, but he swore he’d be around for ‘project animal shelter’ as he fondly called it. 

Dean climbed onto Ash’s bed and sat with his back flat against the wall as they all settled in to finalize their plans and wait out the evening. “I didn’t know you had a sister.” Dean noticed the photo tacked up on the wall by Ash’s desk. “Yea, little sister. Jo.” Ash smiled softly. “She’s great, hopefully stirring up enough trouble back home without me.” He told them about his little sister, iron willed and sharp-witted pistol she was. Reminded Dean a little of himself as Ash spoke. He Climbed onto the bed too and crossed his feet at the ankle. They asked about Sammy and Dean answered, talking about his book smart little brother before reigning it in. His school life and home life being so close together made his stomach lurch, as well as Ash’s proximity to him as he kicked his feet into Dean’s lap, though it never really bothered him before. Dean quickly shrugged away the feeling. 

“You got any siblings Benny?” Ash asked, kicking his feet into Dean’s lap 

“Yea, older sister. She’s married so don’t get any ideas Asa.” Benny squinted at him. 

“Hey! Never stopped me before.” They all laughed, thankfully dropping the subject before it got back to Asa’s discovery of Dean’s mother. “Only child here.” Asa shrugged, “I don’t think my parents coulda’ handled another one of me.” 

“What about Shep?” Dean asked, flipping through a textbook from the desk beside him. “Any siblings of his own?” 

“Naw, he’s only got himself and his mom.” Ash answered, shooting Asa a look that said not to mention the photo incident. They all joked around and talked about funny moments over the summer. For a moment- just a moment, Dean forgot all about the war, about John, about the miserable city in Kansas, and just relished in the laughter of his friends as they traded stories about their lives outside of school. 

Sheppard finally arrived after a few hours, grumbling about having to redo a project entirely because of one mistake. And they prepared for the night’s activities. 

“So, half of us go out the rear stairs, and the other half out stair B. Its alarm hasn’t worked in years.” Ash formulated the plan to make sure that if one group got caught, at least the rest of them would still be able to get the job done. “Shep and Benny, are you guys cool with taking the rear and the rest of us stair B? 

“Sound’s good.” Sheppard sat himself on the floor, flipping a coin through his fingers. 

“Yup.” Benny agreed. 

“Ok. Then meet off the side of the science hall and release mice outside and carry toads to the chapel.” Dean added, very proud of his chapel idea. “We’ll get them under the pews and everything, it’ll be great.” Ash nodded along and they prepared themselves for the night. Just before lights out, the gang disbanded and set off for their own rooms. Dean went down the flight of stairs on his own, dreading being in his own room. 

Dean and Benny walked back to their room just before lights out, undressing and getting ready for bed. After brushing his teeth and the like, he climbed into bed, shoving an arm under his head. He definitely wouldn’t be sleeping before eleven. Too big of a risk to not wake up in time to meet Ash in stairwell B 

Dean pulled on his pants and laced his shoes up, shrugging on a jacket and leaving before Benny. Dean slid out the door and into the quiet hallway. Trying to keep from making too much noise, Dean crept towards the stairwell and down the flight of stairs to the ground floor. There, waiting, was Ash and Asa. The trio slipped into the night and waited a safe distance before talking. 

“Eevryone ready?” Ash whispered, glancing at Dean and grinning with excitement. 

“Let’s go.” Dean pulled his eyes away and looked into the distance, where Shep and Benny were already waiting at the side entrance to the science hall. They let Ash pick the lock before creeping through the building and into the labs, there they found the animals. Benny grabbed two cages of mice and started off towards the exit, Asa not far behind him, to help release the mice into the field. Meanwhile, Ash, Dean, and Shep grabbed a pair of gloves each and grabbed as many dead frogs as they could get. 

The trip in between the science hall and the chapel was a little more complicated, as there was a professor out for a smoke, right within eyesight of both buildings. Asa and Benny had already ducked into the field and were releasing the mice as they waited for the teacher to go back inside. They waited like this for another twenty minutes before they were able to make a beeline for the chapel, Dean nearly dropping a frog in the mad dash. 

Once they entered the church, they were silent, not even laughing. It felt sacred at night, more so than it ever did on Sunday mornings, at least for Dean. He silently hid frog after frog under pews and behind bibles, even sticking one on the pulpit- as if he was giving a sermon. 

With one last glance around the place, the trio escaped the church and made a beeline for Friedrich hall, laughing the whole way back. Dean thought to himself: This was gonna be good.


	8. Frog in the Pulpit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it took so long!!!

The next morning, all the boys on campus woke slowly. It was far too early to be awake on the weekend, Dean had decided. Especially since he had been running around like a madman the night before. He woke groggily and rolled over, seeing Benny button up his shirt and tuck a golden crucifix into it. He met Dean’s eyes and his own lit up with mischeviousness. To which Dean quickly cleared his throat and got out of bed. He dressed up in his uniform, pushing the pile of dirty laundry from the week underneath his bed and ignoring the look it incited from his roommate. 

Benny left a little early, but Dean remembered, he’d have to be there early too, to see the looks on everyone’s faces. Apparently, Ash and the rest of their friends had the very same idea, because they all met outside their hall to walk together. 

Right as soon as the large church doors were opened, an outrageous smell billowed out of the place. They all knew exactly what that smell was. Dead frog. Dean watched the controlled horror on the priest’s face turn to disgust once he spotted the first frog. The only problem with planting around eighty rotting frogs around a church, besides the smell, was now they had to be cleaned up. From afar, Dean saw a group of boys scowling at him. But they didn’t go up to the professors when asked if anyone knew who had done it. 

“Did you see the look on their faces?!” Ash whispered in Dean’s ear, his voice jerking him out of his thoughts. 

“That was totally worth it.” He grinned, proud of their work. The boys were granted the rest of the morning off, and they’d be holding an evening session, frogs permitting. So the boys rejoiced in their free morning and went to the dining hall for breakfast. 

“I can’t believe we got our morning off!” Asa cheered, shoveling piles of eggs onto his plate. “Winchester, you’re a true genius.” And someone nearby must’ve heard because not long after, the rumors spread like wildfire that it had been their fault. Some of their peers were pissed at the lack of respect for the church, but mostly, the students were damned grateful. 

“I swear if we get busted because of Asa’s loud mouth.” Chuck hissed, shoving Asa in the side. 

“We’ll be fine, what’s the worst that could happen?” Ash brushed aside the thought and they all went to sit on the lawn in the sun for the morning. 

As it turned out, the worst that could happen was the Director of the school finding out that they’d had some part in the shenanigans and pulling them all to his office for a stern lecture on the sanctity of the Church and how it is important to show respect to the religious leaders of the school. 

The five boys stood in the office while the director drilled into them how disrespectful their ‘prank’ had been and how they’d be making it up to the student body and the priest by finishing up helping to clear the frogs out, as well as spending every Sunday from now to Christmas break cleaning the Church or helping the priest with one thing or another. 

Dean groaned inwardly at their punishment, it had been bad enough that they’d had to spend their Sunday mornings there to begin with, and now it had turned into an all-day event. Though, it was almost worth it to see the looks on everyone’s faces as the stench hit them. 

After spending the day being lectured and helping clean up the frogs, which had been easy because of their knowledge on the location of the frogs. That evening, the whole student body was gathered in the church for sermon. Even with the windows and doors open, the stench of dead frog had ingrained itself into the essence of the church. But, even still, they had pulled off the theft and relocation of nearly a hundred dead frogs and over fifty mice. So, it had been a job well done. 

“Well, there goes our Sundays.” Shep grumbled, he seemed more upset at the loss than anyone else, no one was as sorrowful over their punishment as him. 

“Eh, could be worse.” Ash spoke up, hands in his pockets and smiled coolly. “Coulda gotten our boy Winchester kicked off his scholarship.” He wiggled his brows and slung an arm across Dean’s shoulders. Ash didn’t seem as tall as he did when school had started. ‘Maybe I’ve grown taller’ Dean thought hopefully. He watched Ash and Shep bicker back and forth playfully, all the while with Ash’s shoulder slung across Dean’s shoulders. Suddenly, he became too aware of the closeness and shoved his arm off with a chuckle. 

Dean wrote a letter back to Sam that week, telling him to ask about the frog story when he got home, and explaining how obnoxious his roommate was and his friends. Especially about Ash, his hair and how it was almost as long as Sam’s ‘but at least Ash’s looks cool’. He joked about hitchhiking to Canada and how small the dorm was. Dean had it mailed out by the first and sent along with it one of the post cards from New York City. 

“Is it hard being so far from home?” Ash asked one afternoon as they sat beneath the tree. 

“A little. I mostly just miss my brother.” Ash’s eyes were trained intently on Dean as he spoke, making Dean gulp. “Most little brothers are annoying, but not Sam, at least not all the time. He’s real smart and has a lot of big goals. He should be the one up here, not me.” Dean admitted, and Ash frowned at him. 

“You’re plenty smart. Smartest friend I’ve got.” And Dean said nothing at all. Just gave Ash a small smile and watched a group of kids play football in the field. “Oh shit!” Dean yelled, leaping to his feet. The football players were scattering in every direction, one with a mouse firmly attached to his index finger and yelling in pain. This caused both boys to break down in hysterics, though the frogs had only lasted a few hours, the mice would live in that field forever.


	9. First Snow

As fall drifted away with the honking of the geese as they flew southbound, the boys hurried through the snow- heavy coats pulled tightly around them. The Thanksgiving Day dinner had been a huge event, though half the kids had gone home for the holiday, Dean and most of his friends stayed to eat to their heart's content. With a stomach full of turkey and potatoes, and a buttery apple pie, Dean had fallen into bed that night without a care in the world. 

Final exams were lined up for the last week of the semester and kept the library and study hall full. Despite the cold, Dean sat by the opened window of his dorm with a stack of papers covering the Greco-Roman period and its influence on education. As thrilling as it sounded and paired with the cold breeze, Dean had managed to fall asleep. Head lolled against the cool glass as the winter sun sat much sooner than usual. The dinner bell hadn’t even rung yet, but the sun disappeared, leaving full clouds to freeze. 

Dean woke up to ice cold flecks of water sneaking through the open window and onto his face. Kansas got pretty cold in the winter, but it was nothing compared to New York. It was already dropping below 20 as he shut it and dumped the forgotten homework back onto his desk. The room was lit by Dean’s bedside lamp, humming softly back to sleep as he settled into his bed before dinner. 

“Hey! You’re lucky I didn’t leave you here.” Ash said, shoving Dean awake, who quickly ran a hand over his face and tried to smooth out the button up he’d fallen asleep in. “Let’s haul ass ‘fore the teachers go looking for who’s missing.” He tossed Dean’s jacket at him and flipped through a study guide, leaning cooly against the desk. His top buttons- like always- undone, and slacks just too short and sitting above his ankles. 

Dean cleared his throat. “Thanks- for gettin’ me.” He gave a small smile and closed the door behind them as they headed to dinner, where all their friends sat chatting about which exams they had left before the sweet release of winter break. 

“I fucking bombed that English paper, I know it.” Asa groaned, dropping his head into his hands. 

“Look who decided to show up!” Shep picked around his food and flicked a pea at Chuck, who glowered from his textbook. 

“I thought you were doing that paper over The Odyssey? Easy shit man.” Rubbing the remnants of sleep from his eyes and plopping down into his seat. All five of them were solidly exhausted and ready to go home. Though the slight feeling of dread didn’t hesitate to settle in Dean’s gut at the thought of going back home. 

“I did- but these teachers want all this new agey shit. What happened to the art of half assing the greats?” 

“No kidding. I wrote about the impact of fiction of today's youth and they ate that shit up.” Ash swallowed a mouthful of food and pointed his fork at Asa. “You gotta come up with something that’d make the writers die- like that Juliet was a dyke and that’s why she killed herself. All I’m saying.” Dean rolled his eyes but Shep looked at him like he was a god, brilliantly spewing ideas that he could use in the paper he hadn’t started yet- though it was due in less than 24-hours. 

By Friday, finals finished with a bang, students flooding the lawns which had filled with snow. Wind swirled excitedly around Dean as he stepped into the snow, crystalline flakes settling on his eyelashes for only a moment before flying off into the air again. The moment of wonder at how much more peaceful everything seemed with clean powder coating everything, stopped abruptly with a snowball to the back of his head, making him whip around and chase after the boy who’d thrown it. 

Ash’s eyes glittered with amusement and he darted off into the open space, grinning wildly. Dean not far behind him, and gaining quickly. His legs a little longer than they’d been when he arrived breaking the distance easily. Boys all across campus had already begun a massive snowball fight, snow flying in every direction and forts being pushed up quickly. Dean kicked off the ground with one last step and tackled Ash, arms secured around his middle. 

“Hey!” His voice was muffled by the snow and he flung back an arm to shove Dean off, but he kept him securely pinned with his knee. 

“Hey yourself!” Dean flicked snow into his face before letting him up, grabbing Ash by the hand and pulling him to his feet. “You started it.” But neither of them had a moment to spare as a snowball hit Ash square in the chest and they dropped to their knees to join the fight. 

They shouted left and right, being joined by Asa and Shep in their fight to get as many upperclassmen as possible. And Dean set himself his own personal goal to get the kids who hung around the edges, just watching it all go down. And he accomplished said goal, effectively roping no less than eleven kids into the mess that was the front lawn. 

Finally, with pants soaked through with snow and fingertips well numbed, Dean chucked one last ball of ice into the back of a kid as he walked away. Asa and Ash wasted no time in hauling him in the opposite direction as Dean saw an ice blue eyed glare, they stumbled, laughing hysterically into the space between two class halls. 

“That’s Michael’s little cousin you idiot!” Ash spoke between gasps of laughter. 

“Michael?” He quirked a brow, “Ohh, that kid I beat the piss out of? Eh, not worried.” 

“Fine, man, whatever you say.” Asa wrung the water out of his gloves and shrugged. “Man, they could get us all kicked outa here I bet.” 

“Like to see ‘em try.” 

The boys skipped and whooped all through the halls into their dorms, peeling off layers of frozen clothing and blowing into their fingers. Benny was already in there when Dean shoved the door open and dropped his clothes into a sopping pile. “Hey man, didn’t play in the snow?” 

“Naw, I need to pack, my folks are getting me tomorrow afternoon.” Benny shoved another pile of wrinkled clothes into the suitcase he was working on before zipping it shut. 

“I’ll have the place all to myself then?” Dean basked in the idea, stripping down and pulling on a long sleeved shirt and pajama bottoms. 

“When are yours picking you up?” He leaned against his bed, righting the inside-out socks and tossing them onto the bed. His side of the room was already packed free of most of his winter clothes, posters and photos would remain solidly taped to the wall until the two returned on the fourteenth. 

“My bus leaves Monday. Old man’s picking me up from the station Tuesday afternoon.” 

“Christ, you rode the bus here? How long of a ride is that?” 

“Just about a day, nothing I can’t handle.” Dean pulled his covers over his lap and sighed at his own things he’d have to pack before the weekend was over. 

“You’ll be back right?” 

“Maybe. Haven’t decided. I reckon you guys will die without me though, so we’ll see.” And with that, the two settled in for bed, drifting off to the quiet falling of snow that was sure to make hell for the kids as they moved back home for the break.


End file.
